Get rid of bad thoughts. Intrusive negative thoughts - what to do

Almost everyone has experienced intrusive thoughts at least once. It could be a line from a random song, or it could be something more serious: an obsession with an idea. Let's pay attention to the last one. Learn from the article how to deal with stubborn ideas arising from the desires, anxieties of the individual.

The pathological manifestation of the phenomenon in psychology is called obsessive-compulsive disorder syndrome, or (OCD). However, you don't have to be scared right away. I'm sure this is not your case.

Healthy people also sometimes go in cycles. This is not about the fictional rituals that are characteristic of OCD. Healthy people become hostages of their desires, needs, phobias, expectations. Surely you have experienced something similar: you could not sleep peacefully, think about something else, until an important event occurred.

What is dangerous

Even a healthy manifestation of obsessive thoughts is dangerous for a person. Obsession interferes with life, distorts, does not allow work. Any, even pleasant, obsession gradually depletes the body. In addition, speaking of a pleasant expectation of something, it is worth mentioning such a possible option as disappointment.

Causes of obsession

Negative thoughts take over the mind more often than positive ideas. Most popular intrusive thoughts:

  • The world is dangerous, people are asocial.
  • Nobody loves me.
  • I don't know how best to proceed.
  • This is a hopeless situation.
  • What if I make it worse?
  • I can't get what I want.
  • Suddenly I'm being used.
  • Everyone wants me to benefit.
  • Why did I do this?

Behind every such negative reflection lies a psychological problem, anxiety and. “No one loves me” usually refers to one specific person. “I won’t succeed” is a typical attitude of a person with low, self-doubt. “The world is dangerous” is a consequence of personal negative experience.

The media also contribute: crime news, scary advertising. So adequate concern about one's health develops first into an obsessive thought, and then into hypochondria. Or a healthy fear for one's life - first into an obsessive thought, and then into social phobia.

How to get rid

It will sound trite and ridiculous, but you need not think about it. The more you fixate on the idea of ​​getting rid, the more you fixate on the obsessive thoughts themselves. And yes, “how to get rid of” is a new obsession. What to do? If the problem is real, then solve it. If far-fetched or you can not influence the situation, then accept and worry.

Action plan:

  1. You will have to suffer a little more, as you need to disassemble the thought into its components. Determine the basis of thought: need, condition. After that, work in the identified direction. There is no point in describing all possible options here. As for the need, make a plan to meet it. What tools do you have, what to buy, where to get them.
  2. Get distracted by getting your brain to work. Connect . It is better to engage in neutral activities, but if thoughts interfere, then engage in beating them. Your brain has only drawn one scenario for you. Take a piece of paper and a pen, draw or write down several possible scenarios. Pay special attention to the positive scenario, but do not build castles in the air. Be sensible about your abilities and adaptive abilities.
  3. Analyze the thought in four questions: “How true is this?”, “Am I 100% sure that this is true?”, “How do I react to these thoughts?”, “Who would I be without such thoughts?” This will help to realize the irrationality of what is happening.
  4. Obsessive thoughts are the result of the work of the subconscious. Analyze if the situation is so terrible: write down all the real facts and your actions in response to each of them. If you find a hole, then think about whether the result depends on you. If yes, then determine where to get the missing knowledge, skills and abilities. If not, for example, you cannot bring some event, meeting, then it remains just to wait and live for your own pleasure.
  5. Try to see winning conditions for yourself. And think about whether the situation itself will be important in 5 years. Let's say you're worried about a conversation with your boss. You may be fired. But can't you find another place? You might even get promoted faster there.
  6. Write down on paper everything that brings you joy, satisfaction at the moment. This will help overcome negative thinking.
  7. If you doubt something, do not dare to act, then think about whether your current position will change in a situation of failure. If you have nothing to lose, then you need to try. If you can lose, then prioritize, determine the value of all the pros and cons.
  8. Think about whether and interfere with you. If that's the case, then it's time to get rid of them.
  9. Is your obsession based on negative past experiences? Find the cause of the fear and get rid of it. Recall a situation from the past that affects you in the present. Analyze it. What has changed in you and your life since then? Are you sure you still can't handle a situation like this? Think, for sure you have learned a lot and have changed a lot since then.

Since you are reading this article, it means that obsessive thoughts regularly torment you. Get to the bottom of the reasons. Determine what thoughts bother you the most and give them a name. For example, “what if I make a mistake, what if it doesn’t work out” is the fear of failure,. And “why did I say so” is excessive self-criticism, a tendency to introspection. Sometimes thoughts don't even need to be captured. They speak for themselves: I am ashamed, scared, hurt, sad.

Learn to perceive intrusive thoughts as a signal, a pointer to a problem. Identify the underlying emotion and its cause, fight it. Gradually thoughts will pass by themselves. If you can’t cope on your own, contact a psychologist. He will professionally study your subconscious, help you find the hidden emotion-cause.

Afterword

An obsession is accompanied by a stressful state. - excitation of the body, accumulation of energy. Throw her out. Physical activity helps you think clearly, frees your mind, makes you work harder and find new ways to solve problems. In addition, sport increases self-confidence, stimulates the production of hormones of joy and anti-stress hormones.

In addition to this, try to get enough rest. A tired brain is capable of various pranks, including intrusive negative thoughts. Try meditating in the morning. To make the task easier, concentrate on the rhythm of the clock or the pendulum. As soon as you catch yourself in your old thoughts, forcefully return to the metronome. Gradually, it will be easier to concentrate, the psychophysiological state will improve.

Bad, Obscene, Blasphemous and Evil thoughts.

What does bad thoughts mean, what thoughts really are and how to get rid of bad thoughts in your head.

Good time friends! Many people are worried about "bad" thoughts and images that come to mind, for example, when I want to do something terrible or obscene thoughts related to God, and they often ask how to deal with this, they say, you write that thoughts cannot be driven away, but accept, but how can I accept these thoughts, because they are so terrible.

This is one of the hardest things for people to understand and I guess not all of you will get the gist right away, but let's try to figure it out.

What does bad thoughts mean and what is in reality.

So, you believe that many of your thoughts are somehow wrong, bad, and you should not have them, and perhaps even it seems to someone that you can harm other people with these thoughts.

But if you think soberly and calmly, in fact, in principle, there are no wrong and bad thoughts as well as decisions. There are more appropriate or less appropriate, ineffective and effective, useful and useless, meaningful or harmful and absurd thoughts.

By nature itself, “bad - good”, “wrong and right” thoughts simply cannot exist, because all thoughts, as a phenomenon, are just thoughts, and initially they neutral, and ours makes them bad preconceived notions, that is, our morality(some beliefs are contrived by us or adopted from someone).

And in some non-standard situation, a thought that is bad in your understanding can become the only suitable one.

For example, thoughts come to your mind that say that you can kill someone, one word “kill” already scares you, but this thought can become justified or even necessary if it suddenly happens that you need to save your own or someone else’s. -that's life.

And in a situation where this thought is suddenly without any reason, comes and touches your loved ones (surrounding) people, you simply realize that it is inappropriate, that is, absurd, and calmly ignore it.

Understand the important thing, all thoughts in their deepest essence are nothing more than mental “labels” that people once invented to denote certain things and phenomena.

And what we now mean by the word, for example, "devil", is just a made-up "label" that communicates what is behind this word. For example, our ancestors could call the "devil" the word "angel" and now under the angel we would perceive something terrible.

And the very fact of the appearance of even the most blasphemous, terrible, defiling and bad thoughts (images) is not something wrong and something that should not be, it is just some kind of knowledge (memory) deposited in the memory. And the fact that something like this comes to your mind, doesn't mean you're bad, after all, our brain, as a natural organ, does not have moral principles, it does not care what thoughts (information) we throw at us.

But when you think that you should not have such thoughts, you argue with nature itself, and a internal conflict: on the one hand, in reality there is a thought (it appeared), on the other hand, you resist it, mistakenly thinking that the thought is bad and you should not have it. This internal contradiction is what creates the whole problem!

And now, to give you an example, I specifically thought: “What could I do with my woman the most terrible?”, And my brain immediately gave me a bunch of ideas: “I could now stand up and stab her in the stomach with a knife, and I could come up and choke." Moreover, the brain not only throws ideas at me, but also itself, using the breadth of imagination, diversifies it, introducing details: “not just to hit with a knife, but in the stomach.”

But I understand very well that I have a choice , I'm not going to do anything like that because it's not in my principles, and I have completely different plans for her 🙂 . But after all, thoughts themselves are possible, the brain itself helped me to assume all this, as soon as I sent it, and gave me a bunch of different variations that I am not obliged to listen to and, moreover, I am not obliged to follow them.

What else can be associated with bad thoughts.

Most often, bad thoughts in people are associated with the characteristics of their personality - suspiciousness(belief in evil eye, signs and prejudices) and self-doubt. I already wrote about this in the article - "". Many just used to think about the bad and doubt everything, not trusting either yourself or others. And they worry for the slightest reason, even for something that did not happen and that it is impossible to know and verify.

And very often, insecurity stems from our distorted attitude towards ourselves and the world around us. Because of false beliefs, harsh and harmful aspirations that make you constantly nervous, angry and worried, to be dissatisfied with life, yourself and others. This is what in psychology is called neurosis. This is a difficult moment to understand, so you can learn more about it in the article - "".

In general, if we carefully look inside ourselves, we can notice a lot of absurd, harmful, alien and simply rubbish thoughts. These thoughts, if you listen to them, begin to destroy us from the inside and do not allow us to move towards.

The reason was - thoughts, it is they who suck our energy the most, spoil our mood and constantly lead to unnecessary stress. And most often because of them, people suffer from depression and other disorders.

How to get rid of bad thoughts in your head.

1. To stop tormenting you with blasphemous and indecent thoughts, cease from this day to consider them wrong and bad. All our thoughts are just thoughts and no more. And remember that your thoughts are not your identity, but only a particle of you, and thoughts are just virtual shortcuts.

You are not bad or some kind of abnormal if such thoughts come to you, this is just the work of the mind (plus your memory).

2. To make it easier and calmer get rid of bad thoughts, start fully morally rest means mentally and emotionally. Relax, watch a good movie, or just do something without overthinking. Dream more about your cherished goals in a positive, rosy way and think about the good that is already in your life (believe me, this is not enough).

Also, excellent (though not always) help to mentally calm down and restore mood - pleasant music and communication, physical education and a contrast shower. Pay attention to what works best in your case.

3. Be sure to learn to control the mind and become aware people, it is simply necessary for health and happiness. I write a lot about this on the blog and, in particular, I highly recommend that you try what I do myself.

4. To have less in my head bad thoughts were spinning, you should try to spend less time with negative people and watch less zombie TV with news and everything that only talks about bad and terrible, it only negatively excites your brain. Energy and mood where there is joy, inspiration and peace.

Finally: remember that even after realizing your delusions and starting to look at some thoughts differently, there will still be an emotional "sediment". And here you just need a certain time until everything passes.

It is also important to remember that we cannot just take and forbid bad thoughts from appearing. We all regularly have a lot of harmful thoughts that do not help us live, but make our life even harder, but we can start treat them right and deal with them wisely.

And how to do all this, how to get rid of negative, obsessive and all bad thoughts, I told in detail in this one.

Sincerely, Andrey Russkikh

The formula for mood, psycho-emotional and psycho-physiological well-being is simple: "How I think is how I feel". However, some people appear, as if automatically, many different negative, obsessive, sometimes bad and even bad thoughts in their heads, which, in fact, organize negative emotions, bad mood, sometimes obsessive (obsessive-compulsive), often bad behavior and physiological , vegetative reactions of the body, leading to depression and.

Most of these emotionally distressed people would like to know how to get rid of bad, obsessive, negative and bad thoughts in the head in order to come to harmony within your personality, not to suffer mentally and move towards success in life.

In psychoanalysis and psychotherapy, there are many different techniques and methods for getting rid of thoughts in the head, including obsessive, negative thoughts. Today we will look at how to use in practice, sometimes, perhaps on your own, or with the help of a psychotherapist, one of these techniques: “Public Meaning” or “Distancing”.

Learn how to get rid of negative, obsessive, bad and bad thoughts in your head with the help of this psychotechnics

This technique, for getting rid of negative, evil thoughts in the head, is both simple and complex - at the same time. Simple, because it is easy to understand and master - complex, because it takes a little practice to make it work and get rid of your obsessive, bad thoughts in your head. Those. you need to have a real desire, motivation and be ready to work on yourself and your negative thoughts.

For that, those who learn to automatically apply it in practice, in life, will be given not only the knowledge of how to get rid of obsessive, bad thoughts in the head, but also the ability (skill) to get rid of grief, fears, anger, panic, etc. ., in various life situations.

So, the principles of technology, how to get rid of bad (bad), obsessive, negative thoughts in the head

The principles of this psychotechnics are related to the method of "Depersonalization of the Personality", i.e. the basis is how you perceive various events (situations) in your life and how and what you think (think) at the same time.

Any life situation (event) has both a personal, subjective (internal), private meaning, as well as a public, external, public one.
Personal Significance is related to the intensity of the emotions that you experience during the event - you are subjective in this. public importance- this is an external interpretation of the event, from the point of view of observers.

The difference between them can be compared to the difference between our reaction to the sudden bruising of our own finger with a hammer and the reaction to the fact that we saw someone else fall victim to the same misfortune. The only way to change your negative, obsessive thoughts, which give a strong emotional component that leads to prejudiced perception, is to learn to depersonalize (see) your inner beliefs - change your worldview a little, look at the world and this event from an objective point of view, from the outside.

How to get rid of your negative, obsessive, bad and bad thoughts in your head

1. You need to learn to distinguish between a perceived event and your thoughts about that event.

2. Look at the event from the standpoint of social and personal significance. The social significance can be seen if you practice seeing the situation from other people's point of view. The event must be objectified. Remember that you already have a public eye, because throughout your life you have been able to observe others in a thousand different situations. Transfer your perception of other people to yourself.

3. In order to transfer the meaning of events from the category of personal to public, you must learn to remove the following from your own perception: emotional variables, intense self-observation and certain metaphysical assumptions. Obviously, this cannot be fully implemented, but the closer you can get to it, the more objective your view of what is happening will be.

4. After you understand the concept of public meaning, make a list of the main situations you have encountered and the public and private meanings for each.

5. First you will need to interpret the event from the standpoint of the public, after you have automatically perceived it from a personal point of view. As you gradually develop, you will be able to bring the objective view of the event closer and closer to the time of its occurrence, and eventually replace personal perception with public during the event itself.

Examples of using the technique of getting rid of obsessive, negative (bad, bad) thoughts in the head

First example

1. Event: anxiety attack. Personal value: "I will die".

public value: adrenaline and other substances are released into the bloodstream.

2 event: Criticism by another person.

Personal value: “I must have done something wrong. I'm incomplete."

public value: “Someone expresses their disagreement with what I did. The reasons for this are unknown."

3 Event: failure in a business project.

Personal value: "I'm incompetent, I'm a failure, I'm going down the ladder of success."

public value: "Planning and preparation were not effective enough."

4 Event: lack of arguments.

Personal value: "I'm a weakling, a balabol and a bore."

public value: "He knew more on this subject than I did, and perhaps more experienced in the conduct of disputes."

5 Event: few friends.

Personal value: "In fact, it's impossible to love me."

public value: "I don't try to make friends and don't treat people very kindly."

6 Event: failures in sports.

Personal value: "I'm not a worthy man."

public value: "I don't have enough reflexes, training, practice."

7 Event: became seven kilograms heavier than she was at 17 years old.

Personal value: "I forgot about self-discipline."

public value: "A 37-year-old woman and a teenager have different metabolic processes."

Second example, getting rid of obsessive, negative (bad, bad) thoughts in the head:

personal meaning fear of a person is such a perception of the world when it seems that something terrible is about to happen and this must be avoided at all costs.

Public, objective value is that the real danger may or may not be present, and it is necessary to look at the situation and determine whether it really exists.

People who need guidance to look at danger from a societal rather than a subjective perspective can use the following five principles.
In general, fear is objective if:

1. There is a real danger to the individual that can cause real harm. It is unwise to be afraid of monsters under the bed, because they do not exist, and what does not exist cannot harm us. (Some people are afraid of witches and sorcerers).

2. The level of fear is equal to the level of possible damage. The fear of planting a small splinter on the heel will be unjustified, since it outweighs the potential danger. (Some individuals are afraid to behave immodestly in public).

3. Fear corresponds to the likelihood that trouble will occur. If a person is afraid that a meteorite will kill him, then his fear will be irrational, because the probability of this event is too small. (Some people are noticeably afraid of such unlikely events as plane crashes, although it is absolutely clear that the frequency of car accidents is much higher).

4. Danger can be controlled. The fear that the sun will turn into a supernova is meaningless, because the event is beyond human control. (Many people fear that they may have a hidden hereditary disease.)

5. Fear is useful if it manifests itself in a situation where it will keep a person on alert in the face of avoidable danger. (Being vigilant about getting a "nervous breakdown" in no way reduces the likelihood of this happening.)

Help from a practical psychologist online in getting rid of obsessive, negative (bad and bad) thoughts and the emotions that accompany them.

Almost every person at least once was overcome by unpleasant disturbing thoughts that took possession of thoughts for a short time. However, such experiences did not interfere with the fulfillment of daily obligations and did not force them to radically adjust their behavior. Unlike such short-lived and not unsettling sensations, intrusive thoughts, referred to in medicine obsessions, "besiege" the brain involuntarily, for a long time and despite the willful efforts of a person.

Peculiarity

Obsessive thoughts are similar to a bad habit: a person understands their illogicality, but it is very difficult to get rid of such experiences on your own. When frightening and disturbing ideas arise, a person maintains a clear mind, and his cognitive functions do not suffer. He has a critique of his morbid condition, and he understands the irrationality of his "obsession". Often obsessive thoughts are very frightening because of their obscenity, which in reality is uncharacteristic and alien to a person.

obsessive thoughts may be adjacent to compulsive actions- an obsessive stereotype of behavior that a person resorts to in order to prevent or eliminate painful ideas that have absorbed consciousness. In this case, one can assume development - a mental anomaly of a chronic, progressive or episodic nature.

Obsessive thoughts can be accompanied by a high level of pathological or go along with symptoms of depression: a depressed mood, ideas of one's own worthlessness and guilt.

As a rule, a person chooses one of the ways to deal with obsessive thoughts: active or passive. In the first case, the person will deliberately act contrary to his overpowering idea. For example: if he is haunted by the thought that he will surely die under the wheels of a car, he will deliberately walk along the side of the highway e. In the second, more common version, he chooses avoidance behavior: he tries to prevent and avoid situations that are terrible for him. For example, if a person is convinced that he will inflict a wound with a surrounding sharp object, he will never pick up a knife and will try not to keep cutting objects in sight.

Classification

How unique each person is, how diverse and extraordinary are the obsessive thoughts that overcome people. Psychologists have repeatedly attempted to describe and classify obsessive thoughts. Among the most authoritative sources is the classification proposed by Jasper. He divided obsessive thoughts into two large groups: abstract - those ideas that do not lead to fear, and figurative - intense experiences with the affect of anxiety.

The first group includes useless and essentially harmless experiences:

  • reasoning - fruitless verbosity;
  • arithmomania - an irrational need to perform a count of objects;
  • unnecessary division of words into syllables, and a sentence into words;
  • the need to constantly retell their memories to people around them.

The second group is represented by more threatening ideas, which are characterized by a persistent affect of anxiety:

  • persistent doubts and uncertainty in the performance of any actions;
  • haunting fears of doing something improperly;
  • attraction and desire to commit obscene, forbidden acts;
  • psychopathic experiences of past events, perceived by the patient as occurring in reality;
  • mastering ideas - the transfer of a person's thinking into virtual reality.

People who are haunted by obsessive thoughts can be roughly classified into the following categories:

  • « raccoons". The fear of infection and pollution creates in patients the need for ongoing hygiene procedures, washing clothes and things, cleaning and disinfecting the apartment.
  • « Reinsurers". The anticipation of imminent danger forces people to constantly double-check: whether electrical appliances are turned off, water and gas are closed, the door is locked.
  • « Blaspheming atheists". Such persons tend to strive to do everything impeccably, because they are guided by considerations that they will inadvertently sin.
  • « Pedants". They are haunted by obsessive thoughts about the need to observe the ideal order, a certain sequence in the arrangement of things, their strict symmetry.
  • « Guardians". Such persons are convinced of the importance of keeping any objects reminiscent of the past, which are absolutely unusable or unnecessary in the present. For them, the idea of ​​accumulation is a kind of ritual, insurance against the “inevitable” catastrophe that will come if such things are thrown away.

Causes of intrusive thoughts

At this stage in the development of medicine, there is no common understanding of the cause of obsessive thoughts. The most substantiated are two hypotheses that combine provoking factors.

Biological factor:

  • congenital anatomical features of the structure of the brain, leading to a peculiar functioning of the nervous system;
  • failures in the chain of metabolism of neurotransmitters, deficiency of serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine and GABA;
  • genetic mutations of the serotonin carrier, the hSERT gene, localized on chromosome 17;
  • infectious influence of streptococci (PANDAS-syndrome).

Psychoneurological factor

  • problems of growing up: the occurrence of complexes in childhood;
  • the type of higher nervous activity existing in a person with characteristic inert excitation and labile inhibition;
  • the predominance of anancaste traits in the personality;
  • chronic psychotraumatic situations (read in detail about);
  • severe overwork and exhaustion of the nervous system.

Treatment for intrusive thoughts

Various techniques have been developed to treat obsessive thoughts. In most cases, they can be eliminated without resorting to pharmacological treatment, using the arsenal of cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy.

Psychotherapeutic treatment

  • Cognitive-behavioral technique implies an iterative impact on the source of a person’s illogical and inappropriate beliefs, which are the essence of obsessive thoughts. During the sessions, the patient is gradually limited, leading to a complete ban, in the use of forced compulsive behavior - habitual protective actions that reduce anxiety.
  • Cognitive Behavioral Approach allows you to completely "reprogram" the brain through a conscious purposeful focus on catastrophic experiences. In parallel with this, the person achieves a weakening of the hypertrophied sense of responsibility, learning how to respond to emerging obsessive thoughts in a functionally healthy way.
  • Group psychotherapy sessions- a useful measure for obsessive disorder. Interaction with people who have similar problems allows a person to disbelieve his “abnormality”, gain confidence in the success of treatment, become a more active participant in therapeutic procedures and quickly get rid of obsessive thoughts.

Pharmacological treatment

Medical therapy- an additional measure in the treatment of the disorder, designed to alleviate the symptoms of obsessive disorder. As a rule, a combined treatment regimen is used, consisting of various groups of drugs:

  • antidepressants;
  • tranquilizers;
  • neuroleptics.

In case of involuntary occurrence of disturbing obsessive thoughts, monotherapy using selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) is preferable, for example: venlafaxine (Venlafaxine). When joining attention deficit disorder, it is advisable to combine SSRIs with the latest developments - SNRIs, for example: a combination sertalina (Sertralinum) and atomoxetine (Atomoxetinum).

In the presence of intense anxiety at the initial stage, treatment is carried out anxiolytics, for example: diazepam (Diazepamum). benzodiazepine tranquilizers, influencing the limbic system of the brain, regulate emotional functions. It has been suggested that these medications inhibit the action of the “punishment system” neurons that are responsible for subjective negative feelings, including obsessive thoughts. However, treatment with these drugs should be exclusively episodic or short-term due to the risk of acquiring persistent drug dependence.

In the chronic course of obsessive thoughts in the absence of the effect of antidepressant therapy, neuroleptics are used ( antipsychotics), for example: risperidone (Risperidonum). It is worth noting that, although the use of antipsychotics reduces the saturation of the emotional sphere, there is a direct relationship between the intensification of obsessive thoughts, the development of depression and the prolonged use of large doses of antipsychotics. Therefore, in some countries, for example: in the USA, the treatment of a progressive mental disorder is not carried out with these medications. In the post-Soviet space, in psychiatric practice for severe forms of OBD without depressive symptoms, it is customary to use long-acting drugs, for example: zuclopenthixol (Zuclopenthixolum).

How to get rid of obsessive thoughts without pharmaceuticals? An alternative remedy in the treatment of obsessive thoughts in depression is recognized as a herbal product - St. John's wort extract, for example: in the form of a drug Helariumhypericum (Helarium Hypericum). A vitamin-like substance has a beneficial effect on the condition of persons suffering from obsessive thoughts inositol.

Treatment with biological methods

In severe forms of the disorder and relentless obsessive thoughts, the appropriate measure is application of non-comatose atropinization involving intramuscular or intravenous injections of high doses of atropine. Such a biological method leads to depression or a complete shutdown of consciousness, which allows you to stop the symptoms by improving the suggestibility of patients during hypnotherapy.

How to get rid of obsessive thoughts: effective methods of self-help

  • Step 1. An important step in overcoming unpleasant intrusive thoughts is to collect as much useful information as possible about the nature of the disorder by selecting reliable, verified sources. The more knowledge a person has, the easier it is for him to overcome painful sensations.
  • Step 2 How to get rid of intrusive thoughts? The main task in independent work is to understand and recognize the fact that obsessive thoughts are not a reflection of the events of reality, but an illusion created at the moment by a sick imagination. You should convince yourself that the fantasies that arise are temporary and surmountable, and they do not pose a threat to life.
  • Step 3 Changing negative obsessive thoughts requires daily painstaking work that requires a responsible approach and does not accept fuss. You should put it on paper, or tell a friend, what kind of experiences prevent you from living, and what events are associated with their occurrence.
  • Step 4 Remember that the “goal” of obsessive thoughts is to shield your brain from the flow of reliable information, isolating you from friends, relatives, and acquaintances. Therefore, no matter how much you want to be alone with your thoughts, you should not withdraw into yourself and refuse friendly communication or support.
  • Step 5 In the case of obsessive thoughts, the method helps many: “The wedge is knocked out with a wedge.” For example, if you are convinced that you are bound to be bitten by even a tiny dog, get yourself a solid service dog. In your practice, you will make sure that your fantasies are absolutely groundless, and fear can be tamed, just like successfully taming a pet.
  • Step 6 An excellent means of self-help with obsessive thoughts are water procedures:
  • taking warm baths while applying a cool compress to the head;
  • contrast shower, dousing alternately with warm and cool water;
  • long bathing in natural reservoirs.
  • Step 7 You should learn and apply relaxation methods, meditation techniques, yoga, which will help get rid of anxiety - a companion of obsessive thoughts.
  • Step 8 It is necessary to exclude psychotraumatic situations in the work team, and in everyday life. A very important task for parents whose children are predisposed to emotional disorders is to properly raise a child - to prevent the formation of an inferiority complex or an opinion about his superiority, not to cultivate the idea of ​​his indispensable guilt.
  • Step 9 How to get rid of intrusive thoughts? Take measures to maximize the illumination of the premises: remove thick curtains, use lamps with bright light. Remember that sunlight activates the synthesis of serotonin, the hormone of pleasure.
  • Step 10 Treating obsessive thoughts includes following a proper diet. The diet should contain foods high in tryptophan: bananas, dates, dark chocolate, figs.

A prerequisite in the program, how to get rid of obsessive thoughts: to prevent the development of alcoholism, drug addiction and substance abuse - powerful killers of the nervous system.

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03/26/2018 at 22:55 For such offensive definitions of types of people with OCD, for example, "raccoons" and others, I would sue half-educated psychologists and deprive them of their license. And even better with a stick on the head! Moral freaks you, not psychologists!

Good day dear readers!

We have already talked about the possibility. And, if you remember, the main point in this matter is a positive attitude.

However, what to do if you can’t tune in to the positive. Therefore, today we will talk about how to get rid of bad thoughts in your head.

Bad thoughts in the head: causes

Many people think that thoughts in the head appear out of nowhere. However, there are quite objective reasons for the appearance of many negative thoughts:

  • Tendency to introspection

This can be safely attributed to personal qualities. If a person has a habit of replaying in his head the events that happened to him throughout the day, then anxiety will definitely increase. Simply because we are not perfect. And it is quite possible to find some incident in your actions during the day;

  • Low self-esteem

If a person is not confident in his abilities, then performing any, even the simplest action, is a real test. Disbelief in one's own strength makes a person calculate all possible scenarios two hundred times. And since there are no ideal circumstances, then a lot of thoughts about a bad outcome appear in the head;

  • Anxiety and increased levels of anxiety

Therefore, if you begin to fear something after hearing a story from someone, then you should try to pay more attention to positive events in your life;

  • obsessive thoughts

For example, if you cannot make a choice for a long time. As a result, the emotional state deteriorates significantly. By the way, in a situation of choice, a person can even get sick in order not to make a decision;

  • Feeling helpless

For example, if a person cannot solve some problem on his own. For some, it’s normal to ask for help, for others it’s a whole problem. Therefore, in a situation of complete helplessness, bad thoughts come into your head that a person is completely hopeless and good for nothing.

If you know this feeling, then remember that any crisis is just temporary difficulties, so you just need to wait it out.

Now we know why bad thoughts come into the head. And if you are familiar with at least one of the listed conditions, then you know for sure how difficult it is to set yourself up in a positive way.

But since, unfortunately, it is impossible to turn off the flow of thoughts in the head, you and I need to learn how to quickly switch to the positive. But first, let's look at the consequences of a negative thinking style.

Negative thoughts in the head: consequences

It would seem that such a dangerous thing in negative thinking. Well, we think about a bad outcome, so what. After all, all the same, not so much depends on us in some situations.

However, there are still negative consequences and quite serious ones:

  • Materializing Our Views

Last time, we already discussed how to materialize positive dreams and desires into reality. However, if there is always negativity in the head, then what prevents it from becoming a reality.

Believe me, the mechanism for materializing dreams and negative expectations is the same. Therefore, it is worth filtering what is in our head;

  • The nervous system suffers

Remember those moments when your not-so-rosy thoughts were constantly spinning in your head. Remembered? Now focus and remember how you felt at that time emotionally.

Usually in this state, people feel increased anxiety, the level of suspiciousness increases, and many fears appear. And this definitely negatively affects the nervous system;

  • The appearance of diseases

It's no secret to anyone these days that our thoughts affect our health. If you get angry, offended, afraid for too long, then you can get a real disease with a whole bunch of comorbidities.

As you can see, the consequences of a negative thinking style are very serious. And here the question arises: do you need it? I think not. Therefore, it is important to be able to remove unnecessary thoughts from the head.

How to get rid of annoying thoughts in your head

So, now let's deal with how to get bad thoughts out of your head. And the first thing you need to know is that positive thinking doesn't happen overnight.

The reason for this is simple: if you are already used to looking for a catch in everything and thinking about how bad everything can end, then it is quite difficult to get all the negativity out of your head at once. But if you constantly work on yourself, then I am sure that over time you will stop thinking negatively.


And now a little about universal methods that can get bad thoughts out of your head:

  • Sports

There are many advantages in this case: there is an unloading of the nervous system, and distracting yourself from unpleasant thoughts by the need to move your legs (especially if your strength is already running out). Moreover, with regular sports, the figure improves, which means that self-esteem increases;

  • Complete rest

Please note: it is much easier to get bad thoughts out of your head if you get enough sleep and rest. If you live in a constant rush mode, then the level of anxiety is constantly increasing, and it becomes more and more difficult to tune in to the positive;

  • Music

Just don't choose sad songs. More suitable for stopping the flow of negativity in the head are relaxing or optimistic melodies;

  • Pictures will help remove bad thoughts from your head.

To do this, we find positive pictures on the Internet. And the thoughts in my head will also begin to tune in an optimistic mood. The main thing is to hang them in places where you often stop looking. For example, on the wall near the desktop or on the refrigerator.

  • Focus on your hobbies

If you do what you like, then you won’t need to spend a lot of effort and energy on throwing negativity out of your head. You will only succeed.

Now as for the psychological techniques that can help if the thoughts in your head are confused.


Such thinking is eradicated as follows:

  • We write down all the fears and negative attitudes on a piece of paper;
  • We divide them into two groups: real and far-fetched. As for far-fetched fears, usually when a person himself refers them to a group of non-existent ones, they disappear on their own.

After all, a prerequisite for the disappearance of attitudes that exist only in our imagination is the realization of their unreality;

  • Now as for the real problems that cause concern. Each of them must be written out on a separate piece of paper. Under each problem we write from 3 to 5 ways to solve it.

Attention! It is necessary not only to prescribe solutions, but also to turn them into reality - therefore, in front of the most acceptable method for us, we must put the date of completion.

For example, if we are afraid to speak in public (and before the performance there are always 250 options for failure), then one solution to the problem may be to enroll in public speaking courses. And we need to determine exactly the date and time when we will deal with this issue.

This is how we deal with every real problem.

You can also use visualization to get rid of negative thinking. But remember that not everything you wish can come true just because we presented it.

For example, it is impossible to restore relationships with the power of thought. To do this, you also need to establish real contact with a person.

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